A - C
type: Concept

ALE
type: Concept
in scheme: projects
definition: The Atmospheric Lifetime Experiment (ALE) began in 1978 as a global network program to provide continuous high-frequency gas chromatographic measurements of nitrous oxide (N2O), Chloroflurocarbons CFCl3 (CFC-11), and CF2Cl2 (CFC-12). The network included observation stations situated at different sites throughout the world: Cape Grim, Tasmania; Point Matatula, American Samoa; Ragged Point, Barbados; Cape Meares, Oregon and Adrigole, Ireland. The ALE is but one phase of a monitoring network consisting of the Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (GAGE) and the Advanced GAGE. The ALE phase ended in mid-1986. The ALE phase (1978-1986) utilized the Hewlett Packard HP5840 gas chromotographs; the GAGE phase utilized the HP5880 gas chromotagraphs; and the recently initiated Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) uses a new fully automated system from Scripps Institution of Oceanography containing a custom-designed HP5890 and Carle Instruments gas chromotographic components. The ALE/GAGE/AGAGE daily and monthly data are available via anonymous FTP from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) as follows: ftp cdiac.esd.ornl.gov cd pub/ale_gage_Agage/ or "http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ftp/ale_gage_Agage/" This subdirectory, ale, contains data from the ALE phase of the ALE/GAGE/AGAGE experiment. Further information can be obtained from: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center Oak Ridge National Laboratory Building 1000, MS-6335 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6335 Phone: 423-574-4791 FAX: 423-574-2232 Email: cdp@ornl.gov IDN_Node: USA/NASA